A Walk Through Frosted Hell
by MoonGirl1155
Summary: When Thor dumps a scrawny, young Midgardian into his cell, Loki isn't sure what to think. They must be playing with him, testing him. Or maybe they just want some entertainment. Maybe they gave the child to him so he could kill it. The boy was so annoying that he was seriously considering the option. But no, there had to be a reason. There was always a reason... (Slash ;3)
1. Chapter 1

**So...I decided to write a Loki/Jack fanfic.**

**Why? Because Loki is so deliciously wicked. Because I'm in love with Jack. Because Loki is a Frost Giant and Jack is you know...Jack Frost. Because these two angels are so pairable and the only romantic fanfiction about them is with a Jaqueline, which I'm not particularly fond of...**

**So now I am burdened with glorious purpose of unleashing this fanfic upon you.**

**(Whatever. I'm a freak and I ship fictional guys together and half of the people in my school are gay anyways so it isn't like I don't know what I'm doing. Don't you dare judge me.)**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:**

The imbecilic buffoons were at it again.

The underground prison echoed with the obnoxious sounds of cheering as the group of hairy oafs, specifically the ones who occupied the cell adjacent to his own, began to pummel each other with their fat, flabby fists.

The walls of golden tinted glass allowed for a full few of the wrestling match, and all of the other prisoners were watching with a bloodthirsty gleam in their dull, dumb eyes as they placed bets on who would win.

Personally, the only reason Loki occasionally paid the _slightest_ attention to these annoyingly tedious, daily brawls was to see if the idiots would finally kill each other off.

Then he could have some peace and quiet to enjoy the rest of his life in solitude.

He lounged casually on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling with his legs crossed and his hands clasped together, resting on his chest. There was a loud clang as the body of one of the prisoners was bashed against the wall between their cells, and the cheering grew louder. He glanced up briefly, peering over the toes of his pointed black shoes at the disgusting, smushed face of the barbarian who was continuously slammed into the wall. The golden surface shimmered from the impact, and soon a pair of guards arrived at the scene.

Loki took note of how the guards didn't even glance at him as they passed by, which was something that didn't surprise him or offend him in the least. He raised his head a little as they stopped at the goon's cell, and observed how they calmed instantly when they realized that the walls were in no danger of shattering. _Of course_ the walls wouldn't break, they were indestructible, and a simple-minded obese creature would not be able to damage it.

The guards didn't order the prisoners to cease their fighting, they joined in and watched the morons toss each other around like nomads throwing rocks.

Loki quickly lost interest and leaned back onto his sofa, returning his focus to the white ceiling. He found it ironic that the, _brave_ and _noble_ _Asgardians_ were clearly just as dim-witted and undeveloped as the brainless oafs that Loki was ranked alongside and imprisoned with.

He smirked at the fact that he was so much better than all of them, yet he knew that somewhere in the Nine Realms, on a specific planet, mortals thought Asgardians to be courageous, sinless, highly intelligent beings who were practically Gods.

The only _true_ God on Asgard was Loki, and here he was, locked up in a glass cell.

Eventually the ruckus died down and the other prisoner's entertainment was stripped away, leaving them to sit there on the tiled floor of their cell, their obese bodies weighing them down. They would rot into nothingness just like him, but in their situations it would not be a waste.

In Loki's scenario however, that was not the case.

He was meant to rule, he was meant to be King. King of Earth, King of Asgard, King of the Nine Realms.

But, _no_. Odin and Thor had to get in the way and foil his attempt at domination.

He scowled up at the ceiling, wishing he could see through the walls and spy on his '_brother_', watch him fail as he tried to rule a kingdom. A task that he would fail, with no doubt.

The soldiers strutted past his cell again, not glancing at him. Early on, they used to be afraid of him. But now they felt only indifference. It irked him. They should be afraid, like the puny little beings they were...

The prison steadily became silent, or as silent as it could be, and he closed his eyes. The lights became annoying after awhile, the brightness, the whiteness. The black of the inside of his eyelids became a soothing comfort if he waited long enough to relieve himself through them. The darkness reminded him of the demon his body housed.

Loki felt the air shift, and he smelt the magic, the hologram of his mother forming beside him. He didn't stir or open his eyes, and he felt her waiting for him to respond to her presence. Something that he would not do willingly.

"Pretending to sleep is childish, Loki." She said, and he found himself internally smirking. This woman knew how to press all of his buttons, how to engage him.

"I was not aware that I was giving off the impression of sleeping, _Mother_." He said, the last word changing a note. She sighed.

"I don't understand why you have to be so stubborn, Loki. Maybe if you didn't argue so much you wouldn't be here-" She began, and he starting smiling now.

"And where would I be then? Other than here?" He opened his eyes now, staring up at her, "Certainty not on the throne of Asgard, my rightful place. _No_, Odin wouldn't have _that_..."

His Mother didn't respond, her lips pressed together in a tight line. Yes, he was frustrating her. He sat up and stared her down.

"A frost giant couldn't rule Asgard, of course not. Only a dimwitted oaf is suited for that job." He said spitefully, and she didn't speak for a long while. He didn't care if she ever spoke. He didn't care if she stopped visiting him. He didn't care if she left him alone here to rot in his cell. Just like Odin and Thor.

"You shouldn't despise your brother so strongly, Loki." She said simply, and he scoffed.

"That _blithering idiot_ isn't my brother." He spat, and it was true. Thor would never be his brother, and he never had been. No matter what anyone said to him, he had no family. He had no one. Thor was not his brother, and Odin was not his Father.

"You shouldn't think so lowly of other beings Loki, you aren't better than everyone else. No matter what you tell yourself." She stated, and then her holographic form dematerialized, vanishing in a flash of light.

Loki smirked, _as if_.

She was just trying to make him feel guilty for his actions, the crimes that had him sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment. He had only attempted to rule Midgard as King of the Humans. They required ruling, and based on his observation of the humans, they were weak pathetic mortals who were dependent on the protection of a few, weak minded leaders.

And Loki was superior to all of them.

Each and every one.

**Jack:**

Jack had hoped that no one would bother him for at least a few more years.

It had been five years since he had first become a Guardian, and everything had been running smoothly while he had adjusted to his new role. He had just grown used to everything when, of course, everything turned dark.

_Literally_.

Jack wiped the blood from his mouth and staggered to his feet, his head still spinning from the impact. He clutched his staff tightly to his chest, pointing it threateningly at any of the shadows that wandered a little too close to him for comfort. He couldn't hear anything but dark laugher echo through the forest of black trees, and he spun in circles.

"Show yourself you bloody coward!" He screamed at the sky in frustration, and the laughter only grew maddeningly louder.

Suddenly one of the black coils grabbed onto his arm and flung him into a faraway tree, as if he was weightless. He groaned as a sharp jab of pain flared through him and he stumbled forward, determined not to fall down. He knew that falling was bad, because once he fell he wouldn't be able to get back up...

Something kicked him in the back and he tripped forwards, face first into the snow. The coldness was soothing and he quickly scrambled to his feet, glancing around frantically through the dark. He could barely see a thing, and the shadows...they were everywhere...

"_No. Shut up_." He told himself,"_Don't be afraid. It's not you that's afraid, it's just the atmosphere. It's making you nervous_." He thought, which boosted his confidence. He could handle this. Pitch would eventually grow tired of throwing him around and satisfy himself, and then Jack could fly as far away as possible.

Flying away...that sounded nice...

But the entire reason he was in this mess was because he had flown away in the first place. After his accidental encounter with a powerful man named Tony Stark, his fellow Guardians had advised him to lie low for a few days. So Jack had gone out into the heart of woods. Alone. At night.

Which was something that he never did, because it was _so_ incredibly stupid...

And now he was paying for it.

"Had enough...fun yet?" Jack panted, yelling towards the general space. He knew that even after five years since his defeat, Pitch was probably as weak as ever, and wouldn't show himself.

Something whizzed past his head and smashed a hole the size of his head into the nearest tree, and he swerved out of the way.

"_Not exactly_." The hairs on Jack's neck stood up as he felt something slither behind him, and he spun around and blasted ice in the direction of the voice.

The figure dissipated instantly before Jack could hit his target, and then his bullet of ice sailed through the air, heading straight towards a new guest to Jack's surprise party.

The ice shot at the heart of Tony Stark, the man who had been hunting him for days.

* * *

**So...who likes my Loki? Huh, huh? Come on, you know you love him. ;)**

**This chapter felt kinda short...the next one will be longer. Please review and tell me what you think! :) Thank you!**


	2. When Everything Started

**OH MY! So many favorites and follows-I think I might cry! Thank you! I love you all so much! This chapter is the longest chapter I have ever written in my life, so please don't hate me because I made you wait. There's no Loki in this chapter, sorry. Don't worry, his absence won't be long. This chapter is in Tony's POV though! YAY! I hope you enjoy!**

**So...I have an important question for you all.**

**Who do you ship more?**

**Pepperony?**

**OR**

**Stony?**

**TELL ME! ;)**

**(SHOUT-OUTS)**

**ichigo-lover-1412: IKR! I don't mean to judge, but I find most gender bends to be inaccurate, so I agree with you. Besides, I think Jack and Loki are much more pairable when they are both male. And don't worry, this chapter has a good explanation for Stark's actions. Thank you for reviewing! :)**

**Stella (Guest): I have never actually read a story where Loki was Jack's father because I ship the two together so much, but I think I should just for informational purposes. I'm glad you like my story! Thank you for reviewing! :)**

**AriaMirror1028: Thank you for waiting, patiently at that. I'm sorry it took so long.**

**Taranodongirl1: No, Stark has not perished, but if he did it would be quite tragic.**

**ELLE555: Read this entire chapter. Take note on the length. The next chapter of Moonlight is going to be just as long and just as good. I just thought you wanted to know. Thank you for reading and reviewing on both of my stories! I greatly appreciate it!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2:**

If he had to guess, everything had started about a week ago.

Tony had been working on Mark 30 in his 'garage' when he had received a notification from SHIELD requesting his assistance. He had only glanced at it briefly before disregarding it, quickly going back to work. That night was date night with Pepper, so SHIELD could wait. Pepper was the only thing he looked forward to these days, she was the only thing he had. Besides, Tony had earned a break from SHIELD's nonsense, considering the fact that the battle of New York was only five months ago. He just wasn't ready to think about-he just wasn't ready to leave Pepper yet.

Later that night, he had been spending some quality time with Pepper, and he felt as if all of his worries had been washed away. He didn't think about New York at all. And if the thought crossed his mind at all, it didn't scare him as much.

At least, that was until the power went out.

"That's...weird..." He muttered. He felt Pepper grab his hand lightly.

"That's what you get for playing with your toys all day Tony." She said, and he rolled his eyes, even though he knew she couldn't see. Mostly because she couldn't see.

"I get very attached to my things, you know that." He said, standing up.

"But you don't need to charge them all at once." She replied.

"We'll I don't want any of them to feel neglected. Child abuse is against the law, Pepper. _Jarvis_!" He added. The lights wouldn't turn back on, but his computer system was responding.

"Sir?" Jarvis responded.

"Where'd the sun go?"

"I'm trying to figure that out, sir."

"Well, speed it up." Tony ordered. He couldn't see a single thing, and the blackness reminded him of space. Empty, vast, dark...he wanted the thought erased from his mind. A tiny part of him longed to run and hide, but he couldn't. He wanted his suit on. He didn't even know why, but he needed it. He needed his suit so he could stifle the feeling bubbling up inside of him. _Now_.

"Jarvis, suit. Mar-" Tony began, but then suddenly a shrill scream pierced through the air. He felt as if he had stopped breathing...and then the lights came back on.

Pepper was sitting on the wooden floor with her hands over her ears, her eyes closed. She looked as if she was about to cry. Tony ran over towards her and grabbed her wrists, trying to pull then off her head and looking into her eyes.

"_Pepper_, Pepper _look at me_. What is it?" He asked quickly, and she opened her eyes. Her beautiful eyes. Her terror filled eyes.

"There was screaming." She said quietly, her voice shaking. She saw the confused look on his face and then mirrored it,"Tell me you heard it too, Tony."

He didn't know what to say. He hadn't heard anything. But Pepper obviously had, and it had freaked her out quite a bit.

"You didn't hear it. How...could you not have heard it? They were screaming." Pepper's voice grew softer as she continued to speak, and sounded like she was speaking mostly to herself. He took her hands and squeezed them.

"Pepper, I didn't hear anything. There's nothing here." He tried to assure her, but she lightly shook her head.

"But...they were _screaming_,Tony." She whispered, a vacant look in her eyes.

"Pepper, who was screaming? Tell me who was screaming." He asked, trying not to grow impatient and attempting to get her to look at him instead of the floor.

"All of them...it's going to sound crazy but..." She looked up at him,"I think they were the ones in New York."

Tony felt something cold wrap it's fingers around his heart and give a sharp tug.

"Oh. Okay." He managed, and then stood up, pulling Pepper to her feet,"I think that's enough vodka for one night."

"You don't believe me?" She said quietly and he stared at the wall on his right for a moment, avoiding her eyes. Thinking.

"I do. I believe you." He said finally, returning his gaze to her. For some reason this response made her appear relived.

"I just wish I _didn't_."

* * *

In result of that dramatic event, date night had been ruined. So Tony had replied to SHIELD's message. For some reason he had an assumption that SHIELD and Pepper's anxiety attack/hallucinations were connected. So early the next day he was sitting in a conference room with Director Fury, Agent Hill, and Captain America, drinking an Expresso. Something that he hoped he would _never_ have to do again.

"I see you decided to finally join us, _Stark_, after ignoring our Assembly order for almost twenty-four hours." Fury stated, clearly expressing his annoyance towards his extremely late reply. Tony just shrugged and took a sip of his coffee, kicking his legs up onto the metal table.

"I'm fashionably late. Besides, I had better things to do that go to school." He replied nonchalantly. He picked up the yellow envelope that contained all of the information on SHIELD's new 'essay' for him. He noticed that Hill was resisting the urge to roll her eyes and that Rogers was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"So...what's my homework about anyways? Is it aliens again? Cause we covered that last term." He continued when no one responded. He wasn't taking this seriously, because unless the world was ending, SHIELD could clean up their own messes. He needed to be home with Pepper.

"Why don't you just open it and find out." Hill said curtly. He glanced in her direction while opening the file.

"_Someone_ needs a coffee. Sorry, but I'm not sharing. You can take Grandpa's over there, he's gotten enough sleep to stay awake for a while." He answered, tilting his head toward Rogers, who didn't look amused. Tony waited a second and realized that no one was smiling. Rogers wasn't even coming up with a snappy comeback.

"_Sheesh_, tough crowd-what is this?" He said suddenly when he finally began to read the file. He skimmed the first few pages, flipping past charts and grids.

"That, Stark, is your mission." Fury said, leaning over the table.

"I figured that." He remarked, not looking up. There were pictures of people with profiles under them, and reports on their actions concerning SHIELD. Something about going insane, screaming about the children.

Tony felt his throat close up and he finally looked up at the three somber faced people in front of him.

"I'm listening now."

Steve smirked, which looked strange on him. "Glad that coffee finally kicked in, Stark."

"Thank you _so much_ for your concern, old man."

"_Anyways_..." Fury interrupted them before they could continue to insult each other, and looked at both of them before resting his eyes on Tony.

"What you're looking at now is all the information we have on a highly dangerous threat that we have been tracking for the past four months." Fury continued.

"So...what do we know?" Tony questioned, feeling a strong need the answers.

"Almost nothing. Only that the attacker has some type of ability that triggers the panic sensors in human minds, and that they are, well, invisible." Hill added, and Tony looked up.

"Seriously?"

"Do we look like we're joking?" Rogers said suddenly, sounding extremely irritated.

"Well you look like a reenactment in those clothes, so maybe." Tony retorted, and Rogers leaned over the table towards him.

"Is everything a _joke_ to you?"

"Sorry _Grandpa_, I couldn't hear you. You're gonna have to speak up." Tony replied, leaning on his elbow and cupping his right ear.

"Would you two just _shut up_ already?" Hill snapped, and Tony slowly leaned back in his seat. He had never liked Rogers, the solider had a very low Tony-tolerance level, which got on his nerves.

Hill quickly pulled up a holographic map above them and turned down the lights, and Tony crossed his arms and continued to glare at Roger's, who's annoyed expression was clear in the blue light. Hill pointed to one of the red dots on the map of the United States.

"Here, in the Northeastern area, is where most of the victims are located. The most recent, and most dramatic cases were located in this area. Near a small town in Pennsylvania. That's where we're sending you." Hill instructed, and Rogers nodded. Tony lifted his head up.

"And when you say '_you_', that means...?"

"You and Rogers." Fury clarified, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Great. I get to spend some bonding time with Grandpa." He said sarcastically. Rogers didn't seem to thrilled to be working with him either. The last thing Tony wanted to do was cooperate with Mr. Super Solider, but he had no choice. Whoever this thing was, it was going after Pepper next. And based on the reports, being a victim didn't have a happy ending. It just _ended_.

So Tony was going to put up with anything, as long as he could stop this guy.

"So tell me, when do we start?"

* * *

SHIELD had flown them into the area, dropping them off at an airport twenty miles out. They were supposed to travel '_inconspicuously_', which meant no suit. At least, he couldn't use it until all hell broke loose. And Tony was sure that it would.

So in order to remain '_inconspicuous_', Tony had been forced onto an antique Harley Davidson with Rogers, which had been the most awkwardly unpleasant experience of his life. He would have actually enjoyed the ride, he loved speed, if only it hadn't required him to hold onto Rogers the entire time. He felt like a _schoolgirl_, an extremely short one at that, as his arms were wrapped around Rogers' waist. He tried to make his hold as light as possible and leaned as far away from Rogers as he could, the _last_ thing he wanted to do was touch the man.

Eventually they arrived in the area, which was a small neighborhood on the outskirts of some small town. Tony jumped off of the bike, pulling out the tracking device that SHIELD had supplied them with. He pulled up a map of their surroundings and the energy signals in the area. But nothing showed up on the screen. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"What is it?" Rogers asked, apparently aware of his distress.

"It's not working. Nothing's showing up," He replied as he pressed multiple buttons on the screen, tapping away and testing all of the device's functions. But his actions didn't change anything. Finally, Tony sighed in frustration.

"SHIELD must've been buying from Haw Tech or something, because this thing is a piece of _junk_." He said, feeling extreme annoyance. He needed to hurry up and figure this thing out, because he needed to get home to Pepper as soon as possible. He needed to protect her.

Tony threw the tracker at the ground and the screen cracked. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, pacing back and forth across the middle of the street. Rogers was watching him with a questionable gaze, but Tony didn't notice.

But Tony _did_ notice when the tracker lit up and started making obnoxious beeping noises.

Tony didn't do anything and just watched as Rogers picked up the device, examining the spiderweb cracked screen with confusion.

"_What the_-"

"What?" Tony asked, and Rogers scrunched his eyes in concentration.

"I don't know, it just looks like...as far as I can tell, there's something big nearby." He responded, and Tony perked up.

"Give me that." He said as he snatched the tracker away and studied the screen. Rogers had been right, the device was picking up a energy signal that was nearby. A powerful one at that.

"Good job Grandpa, you got something right for once. Let's go." He said, clapping Rogers on the back before heading quickly down the dimly lit street, his head down as he followed the tracker's directions.

The golden light radiating from the street lamps made it difficult to read the screen, but maybe that was because he had shattered the glass during his mini tantrum. He wished that Rogers hadn't seen that. He didn't normally behave that way, it was just that this mission was personal. It involved Pepper, the person he loved most, and if he couldn't figure out what was going on, she could be in danger.

When Pepper was in danger, everything in his world seemed a little crazy.

Rogers walked alongside him, observing his movements with an expression of confusion and concern. Tony pretended he didn't notice the man staring at him as continued to head closer to the energy signal, which was only a few blocks away.

Suddenly Rogers stopped his tracks and grabbed his arm.

"What are you do-"

"Hold up," Rogers continued, tilting his head as if he was listening for something.

"I think...I think I hear, _kids_." Rogers finished, and Tony felt dread settle in his stomach. What if Rogers was hearing the same thing that Pepper had heard? A strange image popped into his head, one where Captain America was kneeling on the ground screaming in terror. He erased it from his mind and felt his stomach churn, wishing his imagination had never conjured the image.

"Come on." Rogers said and took a sharp turn, heading in a direction opposite the tracker's signal. The Captain dragged him along the street, not bothering to release his superhuman hold on his upper arm.

"Wait! What do you think you're _doing_?! You're going the _wrong way!_" Tony protested, trying to dig his heels into the asphalt and stop Rogers from pulling him away from where they needed to go. But Rogers didn't let go.

"_Rogers_! Earth to Captain America! Cut it out!" He said, wishing that he had his suit on so he could be stronger than him. Without his suit, he wasn't strong at all.

"..._no fair!_"

Tony looked up as the sound reached his ears, and Rogers stopped walking and released his bicep. He heard voices, and they sounded like they were laughing.

"_What the_-" Tony began, but Rogers cut him off.

"They're over there." He said, pointing up ahead. Tony looked where the Captain was pointing and saw a group of children running around in the snow. The laughter got louder and the two of them exchanged glances before they began to approach the children.

As they drew closer, Tony noticed several strange things about the situation. First of all, it was almost midnight, and several children were out of bed playing in the snow, as if it wasn't freezing outside. Second, they were making a lot of noise, and none of the nearby houses seemed to notice anything. Third, one of the children looked older than the others, and the more Tony watched, he realized that the kid was actually at least a few years older than the others. And had extremely pale skin. And wasn't wearing shoes. And was holding a stick in his right hand.

Tony felt a strange sensation tingle through his body and he glanced down at the tracker, and sure enough, the energy signal, somehow, was here. Ten feet away.

"Who's that?" One of the kids called out, and all of them turned around to face him and Rogers, finally noticing their presence. The odd teenage boy spun around and stared at him, and the first thing Tony noticed was that the boy had huge eyes. Unnaturally bright and...strange. The kid just radiated strange in general.

Tony didn't like strange things.

"Hi!" A little brown-haired, brown-eyed boy waved and stepped closer to them, until the teenager grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. All of the children grew still and quiet.

"Who are you?" The strange one asked, sounding extremely defensive as he hugged the little boy to him.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Tony said, and the teenager glared in response. Which only heightened his suspicions. Rogers stepped out in front of him.

"We don't want to bother you. We're just here looking for...something." Rogers cut in, and the white-haired teenager narrowed his eyes before looking at the other kids.

"Hey Jamie, I think you should go home now." He said slowly, and the brown-eyed boy glanced up in surprise.

"But Jack-!" He protested, but the teenager cut him off.

"_Now_ Jamie."

All of the kids sighed and then began to walk away, eying him and Rogers wearily. The moment the younger kids were gone, the boy pointed the curved stick at the two of them threateningly.

"How can you see me?" The kid demanded, and Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Are we supposed to, _not_ see you or something?" He asked, glancing at the boy's curved stick. It didn't really appear to be menacing, but looks could be deceiving.

"No one can see me." He replied, tightening his hold on the wood. Tony didn't understand what the kid was saying, but so far he didn't trust him.

"Those kids could see you just fine." Tony pointed out.

"That's because they were _kids_. You're adults. You're not supposed to be able to see me." The teenager said, and then glanced at Rogers, who had just stood by and throughout the entire time.

"What do you people want?" The boy snapped, glaring at the Captain. Rogers sighed, and then spoke.

"What's your name, son?" Rogers asked, sounding like his regular, 1940's self, and the boy raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"...Jack." He said slowly, and Tony could almost see the walls being built around the kid. He didn't trust him.

"Look, _Jack_, we're not here to hurt you. We're looking for someone-or something. But we don't know who it is. All we know is that they're dangerous and invisible." Rogers explained, and the boy didn't seem any less guarded. Tony, being a super genius and always aware of his surroundings, realized that the kid was nervous. Why would he have a reason to be nervous? Unless he was hiding something...

Tony felt the puzzle pieces in his mind rotate and shift, and everything was slowly coming together.

"_Rogers_..."

"Well, I can't help you. So, I'll be leaving now then." Jack said, stepping away.

Tony glanced down at his screen, and saw the radiation levels. They were insanely high. And if Tony paused for even a second, he could even feel the power and energy in the air. Rogers glanced at him, and then everything made sense.

"It's the kid." Tony said, and Jack's eyes widened, further confirming the conclusion he had recently come to.

"W-what? What are you talk-_hey_!" Tony grabbed onto the boy's scrawny arm and pulled him closer, sticking the tracker against the side of his face. He could feel the device overheat in his fingers and malfunction from the energy signals, and at the same time his arm was freezing.

"Let _go_!" Jack yelled, attempting to break away, and Tony glanced down at his fingers gripping the boy's wrist, and watched in surprise as ice moved down the kid's and onto his skin. Tony immediately released him and took a step back, his fingers dangerously cold. The kid stumbled back, his dark blue eyes extremely wide, and Rogers glanced up at him.

"Wait! Don't-" But Jack was running away, and Tony chased after him through the field of snow. He couldn't let the kid go, the kid was what SHIELD had sent him out here for. He was the creature that was making people go insane, he knew that for sure now. Tony dived for the boy's feet but then Jack took off into the air, and to his utmost surprise, flew away with amazing speed. He barely had time to blink before the boy vanished entirely.

Tony laid there in the snow for a few minutes, completely in shock and unable to process what had just happened. The boy, Jack, could fly. He was the thing endangering Pepper.

And he had gotten away.

* * *

Tony's fingers had turned a hideous shade of black after only a few minutes, which had repulsed him so much that he had been forced to reluctantly ask the Captain to deal with his hand for him. Rogers didn't even appear disturbed in the slightest as he was pressing the heating device against his skin, which made Tony wonder how many disgusting injuries he had witnessed when he was in the army. Rogers fingers were surprisingly light as he wrapped the warm bandages around his shaking fingers, and it made Tony wonder how many wounds the Captain had treated in his lifetime.

After they decided that he would be able to keep his fingers, they headed back to the motorcycle and tried to formulate a plan. The tracking device had practically exploded after it made contact with Jack's skin, and without it they had no way of finding the kid. And they needed to find him. They had too.

Tony was only slightly aware of the unhealthy emotion that was bubbling inside of him, the one that was turning into an obsession. It was sickly sweet and tasted vile on his tongue, but he didn't want to address it at the moment. He pulled out his portable suitcase (literally a suit-case) from the back of the motorcycle and held it in his hands before turning his attention to Rogers, who was leaning against the pole of the streetlamp. Tony noticed that he was wearing his Captain America suit under his leather jacket and smiled to himself. So much for SHIELD's orders about being '_inconspicuous_'.

"So what's the plan, Stark?" Rogers asked, and Tony pressed a button on his portable suitcase so the metal shifted until his entire body was covered in shining armor.

"Well old man, we're going to see if Jarvis has a tracking device that isn't crappy." He replied, and he must've imagined the faint smirk on the Captain's stoic face.

"Jarvis!"

"Yes sir?"

"Find the kid who froze my hand. And make it quick." He ordered, and Jarvis pulled up a map of the area's energy radiation that wasn't nearly as crappy as SHIELD's Haw Techy one.

"So, where is he?"

"I have the coordinates right here. The location is about an hour away if you travel with Mr. Rogers." Jarvis stated, and Tony nodded.

"Let's make it thirty minutes."

"What are you doing?" Rogers asked suddenly, and he realized that the Captain couldn't hear his conversation with his computer. He smirked, even though Rogers couldn't see. Mostly because he couldn't see.

"We're taking a road trip, Grandpa. Hold on." He said, and Rogers only had a few seconds to wear a bewildered expression before Tony scooped him up in his arms and flew off.

The surprised sound that Rogers made was even more satisfying than he could have ever imagined.

Unfortunately, they ended up taking a lot more than thirty minutes to find the kid. It was more like a two days. The kid kept on moving around, and once they finally got close enough to him, a blizzard picked up out of no where and forced them to spend the night on the ground. Tony had spent twelve hours cussing out the kid while waiting out the storm, and when the finally found him forty-eight hours after his first encounter, he was ready to rip the pest to pieces.

Which brings us to the present, where the frozen boy was shooting ice straight at his chest.

Tony didn't have time to move out of the way, but then something colorful flew in front of him and deflected the stake of ice. The object moved back around like a boomerang and he realized it was Rogers's famous shield, which landed in his hand.

Tony was hovering in the air, and gave Rogers a curt nod before returning his attention to Jack, who was looking up at him with wide eyes. Which he didn't fall for.

"I would be _seriously_ regretting that if I were you, kid." He said, landing in the snow in front of him with a heavy thud. The boy backed away and aimed his staff at his head threateningly, narrowing his dark blue eyes.

"Leave. Me. Alone." Jack demanded, his voice low, and Tony didn't need any further proof. This 'kid' was the thing attacking people. He was the thing endangering Pepper.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I can't do that." Tony replied, and then the kid shot ice at him again.

Tony dodged the frozen bullet and fired a beam of energy at him, not caring where it hit. The boy nimbly swerved out of the way, and that was when Rogers threw his shield again, causing Jack to dive to the ground before rolling back up on his feet again. The shield spun back around and the boy jumped over it, just as Tony shot again. He missed.

_Damn_, that kid was fast.

Ice grazed his shoulder and he felt some of the metal on his suit chip off, only making him more annoyed. And angry. The strange, unidentifiable emotion coursed through his veins and he felt the sensation roll through him as he aimed at the boy's chest, and he felt a unnatural urge to smile when his shot met its mark.

Jack went flying through the air and smashed into a tree, his curved, wooden weapon flung in the opposite direction. Tony walked over and watched as the boy crumpled to the ground, feeling no form of emotion. He realized that the kid was covered in cuts and bruises, blood coating his pale skin. Had he done that?

For a second Tony snapped out of his trance, but then he had a flash of where Pepper was in the exact same state, and he lifted his mask up, grabbing the kid's collar and pulling him up to eye level.

Jack's eyes were half-open as he looked at him wearily, barely conscious. But Tony couldn't think, couldn't feel anything else except for his fear. His fear of Pepper getting hurt. And the fear gave him rage.

"What did you do?" He asked, and the kid let out a gasp of pain. Tony had his iron fingers gripping his throat tightly. When had he done that? He didn't remember.

"What did you do to them? What did you do to her?" He asked again, harsher this time, and the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head, eyelids fluttering as he struggled to breathe.

"_Stark_!"

The voice cut through him like a recently sharpened blade and he focused on Jack's bloody face before immediately releasing his throat. The kid dropped to the ground and passed out instantly.

Tony didn't breathe for a minute, and felt the sickly sweet taste on his tongue before glancing up at Rogers, who was giving him a horrified look.

"Stark...your eyes..." He began, but didn't finish.

"What?" Tony asked, and Rogers shook his head.

"They...they changed color. They were black." Rogers finished, and Tony suddenly didn't feel so well. He wanted to go to sleep. He hadn't slept in the past three days. He needed to sleep. He glanced at the boy, who looked as if he had been run over by a truck. Had he really done that? He didn't know he was capable of hurting someone like that...

"I don't know...I don't know what happened..." Tony started, gazing at Rogers, who was giving him a sad look.

"Stark...he's just a _kid_. You don't even know if it's him who's hurting people. It might not be his fault." Rogers said, and Tony nodded absently. He didn't exactly agree. There was something about the boy that made him think that he wasn't just a kid after all...

Rogers was standing besides him suddenly, and he didn't look at the Captain as he slung the unconscious teenager over his shoulder and began to walk away.

"Who is she?" Rogers asked suddenly, and Tony stopped in his tracks. He didn't look back at the man as he breathed heavily.

"She's a friend. And she's going to be one of those people in those files. Because of this 'kid'." Tony said, and finally turned around to see Rogers staring at him with concern. With empathy. With understanding.

And that was when it all started.

* * *

**FINALLY! I finished the chapter! OH MY FROSTED GOODNESS, that was long. I've been working on it for the past two weeks and for ten hours today. So I hope you enjoyed it. And I HOPE YOU READ THE ENTIRE THING! If you didn't...Loki will hurt you.**

**Please Review! The entire population of the Internet is favoriting and following, or so it seems, but none of you are reviewing! But don't stop favoriting and following. Please don't.**

**Am I the only one who loves the way Tony is so devoted to Pepper and will do anything to protect her? Am I the only one who loves the way Tony thinks of Steve as Rogers?**

**Give me your thoughts people. Share with me.**

**More Tony, Steve, and Jack are up next, and we get to return to Asgard with Thor. ;) YAY!**


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